Representation of facial expression categories in continuous arousal-valence space: Feature and correlation

Representation of facial expressions using continuous dimensions has shown to be inherently more expressive and psychologically meaningful than using categorized emotions, and thus has gained increasing attention over recent years. Many sub-problems have arisen in this new field that remain only partially understood. A comparison of the regression performance of different texture and geometric features and investigation of the correlations between continuous dimensional axes and basic categorized emotions are two of these. This paper presents empirical studies addressing these problems, and it reports results from an evaluation of different methods for detecting spontaneous facial expressions within the arousal-valence dimensional space (AV). The evaluation compares the performance of texture features (SIFT, Gabor, LBP) against geometric features (FAP-based distances), and the fusion of the two. It also compares the prediction of arousal and valence, obtained using the best fusion method, to the corresponding ground truths. Spatial distribution, shift, similarity, and correlation are considered for the six basic categorized emotions (i.e. anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise). Using the NVIE database, results show that the fusion of LBP and FAP features performs the best. The results from the NVIE and FEEDTUM databases reveal novel findings about the correlations of arousal and valence dimensions to each of six basic emotion categories.

Weight-related differences in glucose metabolism and free fatty acid production in two South African population groups

OBJECTIVE The effects of free fatty acids (FFA), leptin, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha and body fat distribution on in vivo oxidation of a glucose load were studied in two South African ethnic groups. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS Anthropometric and various metabolic indices were measured at fasting and during a 7h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis and subcutaneous and visceral fat mass was assessed using a five- and two-level CT-scan respectively. Glucose oxidation was evaluated by measuring the ratio of (13)CO(2) to (12)CO(2) in breath following ingestion of 1-(13)C-labelled glucose. SUBJECTS Ten lean black women (LBW), ten obese black women (OBW), nine lean white women (LWW) and nine obese white women (OWW) were investigated after an overnight fast. RESULTS Visceral fat levels were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in obese white than black women, despite similar body mass indexes (BMIs). There were no ethnic differences in glucose oxidation however; in the lean subjects of both ethnic groups the area under the curve (AUC) was higher than in obese subjects (P < 0.05 for both) and was found to correlate negatively with weight (r = -0.69, P < 0.01) after correcting for age. Basal TNF alpha concentrations were similar in all groups. Percentage suppression of FFAs at 30 min of the OCTT was 24 +/- 12% in OWW and - 38 +/- 23% (P < 0.05) in OBW, ie the 30 min FFA level was higher than the fasting level in the latter group. AUC for FFAs during the late postprandial period (120 - 420 min) was significantly higher in OWW than OBW (P < 0.01) and LWW (P < 0.01) and correlated positively with visceral fat mass independent of age (r = 0.78, P < 0.05) in the OWW only. Leptin levels were higher (P < 0.01) both at fasting and during the course of the OCTT in obese women from both ethnic groups compared to the lean women. CONCLUSIONS Glucose oxidation is reduced in obese subjects of both ethnic groups; inter- and intra-ethnic differences were observed in visceral fat mass and FFA production and it is possible that such differences may play a role in the differing prevalences of obesity-related disorders that have been reported in these two populations.

Engineered microenvironments provide new insights into ovarian and prostate cancer progression and drug responses

Tissue engineering technologies, which have originally been designed to reconstitute damaged tissue structure and function, can mimic not only tissue regeneration processes but also cancer development and progression. Bioengineered approaches allow cell biologists to develop sophisticated experimentally and physiologically relevant cancer models to recapitulate the complexity of the disease seen in patients. Tissue engineering tools enable three-dimensionality based on the design of biomaterials and scaffolds that re-create the geometry, chemistry, function and signalling milieu of the native tumour microenvironment. Three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments, including cell-derived matrices, biomaterial-based cell culture models and integrated co-cultures with engineered stromal components, are powerful tools to study dynamic processes like proteolytic functions associated with cancer progression, metastasis and resistance to therapeutics. In this review, we discuss how biomimetic strategies can reproduce a humanised niche for human cancer cells, such as peritoneal or bone-like microenvironments, addressing specific aspects of ovarian and prostate cancer progression and therapy response.

Challenges in improving chronic disease survivorship outcomes using tele-health and self-managed online solutions

The advances in modern information and communication (ICT) technology continue to address the challenges and improve` health outcomes for the survivors of chronic disease such as prostate cancer. The management of survivorship is increasingly becoming an important need for the survivors to manage their chronic conditions. The technology interventions such as tele-health as well as self-managed technology applications have shown a potential to improve survivorship outcomes. However, the application of these tools should be supported by strong health economics evidence. This work discusses the challenges of technology led survivorship care models and presents an integrated approach to address these challenges.

Epigenetics and migraine; complex mitochondrial interactions contributing to disease susceptibility

Migraine is a common neurological disorder classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the top twenty most debilitating diseases in the developed world. Current therapies are only effective for a proportion of sufferers and new therapeutic targets are desperately needed to alleviate this burden. Recently the role of epigenetics in the development of many complex diseases including migraine has become an emerging topic. By understanding the importance of acetylation, methylation and other epigenetic modifications, it then follows that this modification process is a potential target to manipulate epigenetic status with the goal of treating disease. Bisulphite sequencing and methylated DNA immunoprecipitation have been used to demonstrate the presence of methylated cytosines in the human D-loop of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), proving that the mitochondrial genome is methylated. For the first time, it has been shown that there is a difference in mtDNA epigenetic status between healthy controls and those with disease, especially for neurodegenerative and age related conditions. Given co-morbidities with migraine and the suggestive link between mitochondrial dysfunction and the lowered threshold for triggering a migraine attack, mitochondrial methylation may be a new avenue to pursue. Creative thinking and new approaches are needed to solve complex problems and a systems biology approach, where multiple layers of information are integrated is becoming more important in complex disease modelling.

Obesity and hypertension have differing oxidant handling molecular pathways in age-related chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in ageing is a burden on health systems worldwide. Rat models of age-related CKD linked with obesity and hypertension were used to investigate alterations in oxidant handling and energy metabolism to identify gene targets or markers for age-related CKD. Young adult (3 months) and old (21–24 months) spontaneously-hypertensive (SHR), normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Wistar rats (normotensive, obese in ageing) were compared for renal functional and physiological parameters, renal fibrosis and inflammation, oxidative stress (hemeoxygenase-1/HO-1), apoptosis and cell injury (including Bax:Bcl-2), phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of oxidant and energy sensing proteins (p66Shc, AMPK), signal transduction proteins (ERK1/2, PKB), and transcription factors (NF-κB, FoxO1). All old rats were normoglycemic. Renal fibrosis, tubular epithelial apoptosis, interstitial macrophages and myofibroblasts (all p < 0.05), p66Shc/phospho-p66 (p < 0.05), Bax/Bcl-2 ratio (p < 0.05) and NF-κB expression (p < 0.01) were highest in old obese Wistars. Expression of phospho-FoxO/FoxO was elevated in old Wistars (p < 0.001) and WKYs (p < 0.01). SHRs had high levels in young and old rats. Expression of PKB, phospho-PKB, ERK1/2 and phospho-ERK1/2 were significantly elevated in all aged animals. These results suggest that obesity and hypertension have differing oxidant handling and signalling pathways that act in the pathogenesis of age-related CKD

Facial emotion and identity processing development in 5- to 15-year-old children

Most developmental studies of emotional face processing to date have focused on infants and very young children. Additionally, studies that examine emotional face processing in older children do not distinguish development in emotion and identity face processing from more generic age-related cognitive improvement. In this study, we developed a paradigm that measures processing of facial expression in comparison to facial identity and complex visual stimuli. The three matching tasks were developed (i.e., facial emotion matching, facial identity matching, and butterfly wing matching) to include stimuli of similar level of discriminability and to be equated for task difficulty in earlier samples of young adults. Ninety-two children aged 5–15 years and a new group of 24 young adults completed these three matching tasks. Young children were highly adept at the butterfly wing task relative to their performance on both face-related tasks. More importantly, in older children, development of facial emotion discrimination ability lagged behind that of facial identity discrimination.

The legal concept of work-related injury and disease in Australian OHS and workers' compensation systems

This paper analyses the concept of ‘work-relatedness’ in Australian workers’ compensation and occupational health and safety (OHS) systems. The concept of work-relatedness is important because it is a crucial element circumscribing the limits of the protection afforded to workers under the preventative OHS statutes, and is a threshold element which has to be satisfied before an injured or ill worker can recover statutory compensation. While the preventive and compensatory regimes do draw on some similar concepts of work-relatedness, as this paper will illustrate, there are significant differences both between, and within, these regimes.

2nd ESMO consensus conference on lung cancer : early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer consensus on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

To complement the existing treatment guidelines for all tumour types, ESMO organises consensus conferences to focus on specific issues in each type of tumour. The 2nd ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer was held on 11-12 May 2013 in Lugano. A total of 35 experts met to address several questions on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in each of four areas: pathology and molecular biomarkers, first-line/second and further lines in advanced disease, earlystage disease and locally advanced disease. For each question, recommendations were made including reference to the grade of recommendation and level of evidence. This consensus paper focuses on early-stage disease. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved.

Second ESMO consensus conference on lung cancer : pathology and molecular biomarkers for non-small-cell lung cancer

To complement the existing treatment guidelines for all tumour types, ESMO organises consensus conferences to focus on specific issues in each type of tumour. The Second ESMO Consensus Conference on Lung Cancer was held on 11-12 May 2013 in Lugano. A total of 35 experts met to address several questions on management of patients with nonsmall- cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in each of four areas: pathology and molecular biomarkers, early stage disease, locally advanced disease and advanced (metastatic) disease. For each question, recommendations were made including reference to the grade of recommendation and level of evidence. This consensus paper focuses on recommendations for pathology and molecular biomarkers in relation to the diagnosis of lung cancer, primarily non-small-cell carcinomas.

Symptom correlates of static and dynamic facial affect processing in schizophrenia : evidence of a double dissociation?

Schizophrenia patients have been shown to be compromised in their ability to recognize facial emotion. This deficit has been shown to be related to negative symptoms severity. However, to date, most studies have used static rather than dynamic depictions of faces. Nineteen patients with schizophrenia were compared with seventeen controls on 2 tasks; the first involving the discrimination of facial identity, emotion, and butterfly wings; the second testing emotion recognition using both static and dynamic stimuli. In the first task, the patients performed more poorly than controls for emotion discrimination only, confirming a specific deficit in facial emotion recognition. In the second task, patients performed more poorly in both static and dynamic facial emotion processing. An interesting pattern of associations suggestive of a possible double dissociation emerged in relation to correlations with symptom ratings: high negative symptom ratings were associated with poorer recognition of static displays of emotion, whereas high positive symptom ratings were associated with poorer recognition of dynamic displays of emotion. However, while the strength of associations between negative symptom ratings and accuracy during static and dynamic facial emotion processing was significantly different, those between positive symptom ratings and task performance were not. The results confirm a facial emotion-processing deficit in schizophrenia using more ecologically valid dynamic expressions of emotion. The pattern of findings may reflect differential patterns of cortical dysfunction associated with negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia in the context of differential neural mechanisms for the processing of static and dynamic displays of facial emotion.

Improved nutritional status is related to improved quality of life in Parkinson’s disease

Background: Quality of life is poorer in Parkinson’s disease than in other conditions and in the general population without Parkinson’s disease. Malnutrition also results in poorer quality of life. This study aimed at determining the relationship between quality of life and nutritional status. Methods: Community-dwelling people with Parkinson’s disease >18 years old were recruited. The Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) assessed nutritional status. The Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire 39 (PDQ-39) measured quality of life. Phase I was cross-sectional. The malnourished in Phase I were eligible for a nutrition intervention phase, randomised into 2 groups: standard care (SC) with provision of nutrition education materials only and intervention (INT) with individualised dietetic advice and regular weekly follow-up. Data were collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Results: Phase I consisted of 120 people who completed the PDQ-39. Phase II consisted of 9 in the SC group and 10 in the INT group. In Phase I, quality of life was poorer in the malnourished, particularly for mobility and activities of daily living domains. There was a significant correlation between PG-SGA and PDQ-39 scores (Phase I, rs = 0.445, p = .000; Phase II, rs = .426, p = .002). In Phase II, no significant difference in the PDQ-39 total or sub-scores was observed between the INT and SC groups; however, there was significant improvement in the emotional well-being domain for the entire group, X2(2) = 8.84, p = .012. Conclusions: Malnourished people with Parkinson’s disease had poorer quality of life than the well-nourished, and improvements in nutritional status resulted in quality of life improvements. Attention to nutritional status is an important component of quality of life and therefore the total care of people with Parkinson’s disease.

Facial identity and facial expression matching in 5 - 12-year-old children and adults

Facial identity and facial expression matching tasks were completed by 5–12-year-old children and adults using stimuli extracted from the same set of normalized faces. Configural and feature processing were examined using speed and accuracy of responding and facial feature selection, respectively. Facial identity matching was slower than face expression matching for all age groups. Large age effects were found on both speed and accuracy of responding and feature use in both identity and expression matching tasks. Eye region preference was found on the facial identity task and mouth region preference on the facial expression task. Use of mouth region information for facial expression matching increased with age, whereas use of eye region information for facial identity matching peaked early. The feature use information suggests that the specific use of primary facial features to arrive at identity and emotion matching judgments matures across middle childhood.

Mirror neuron activation is associated with facial emotion processing

Theoretical accounts suggest that mirror neurons play a crucial role in social cognition. The current study used transcranial-magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate the association between mirror neuron activation and facialemotion processing, a fundamental aspect of social cognition, among healthy adults (n = 20). Facial emotion processing of static (but not dynamic) images correlated significantly with an enhanced motor response, proposed to reflect mirror neuron activation. These correlations did not appear to reflect general facial processing or pattern recognition, and provide support to current theoretical accounts linking the mirror neuron system to aspects of social cognition. We discuss the mechanism by which mirror neurons might facilitate facial emotion recognition.

The management of venereal disease in New South Wales, 1871 to 1916

Practical techniques to manage the dangers associated with sexually transmitted diseases have varied considerably both cross culturally and historically. Adopting a Foucauldian perspective, this article examines sociohistorical aspects of the governance of venereal disease in New South Wales between 1871 and 1916. Public debates and official documents are analysed to identify strategic shifts in practices associated with venereal disease management , especially in relation to prostitution. Particular attention is paid to the development of contagious disease legislation and its role in the regulation of venereal disease . It is argued that during the period in question, two distinct governmental regimes of disease control can be identified. In the first, medical policing managed venereal disease through the mobilisation of repressive controls, requiring the isolation and detention of polluting bodies. In the second, liberal governance adopted pedagogic practices to train populations perceived as either healthy or unhealthy. It is further argued that as liberal strategies of governance came to dominate the management of venereal disease , the association of prostitution with venereal disease began to weaken. Instead, authorities became increasingly concerned with populations whose behaviour was not traditionally linked with venereal disease , such as the young and the sexually inexperienced.